Added Value from Sherita

[sherita-douglas]

Winning Image

Beliefs are a part of our life experience and they determine so much about our lives.  Did you know that within you is the power to do the things you never thought possible?  This power becomes available to you just as soon as you are able to change your beliefs.

Self image is a collection of beliefs. It is made up of ideas that were placed in our minds by other people before we had the ability to think for ourselves.  Therefore, these ideas that run our lives today were most likely placed there by other people.

As adults, we have the ability to choose who we take advice from and although we may not always get the best advice, at least we have a choice.  But when we were young, we didn’t have that choice.

If success is enjoyed by 4-5% of the population, what are the odds that our minds were programmed with ideas by people who knew how things really worked? Keep in mind that our parents and guardians gave their best but they couldn’t give us what they didn’t have to give - they were the product of environmental conditioning just as we were.

If you want what information you have programmed in, all you need to do is look at your results.  Your results don’t lie - your results are a reflection of your self-image.  If you want to change your results, then you need to start with your self-image.

If we are not prepared to change that internal image and we do not want to go through the process of change, then we don’t deserve the change in our results. Everyone wants the change but many are not prepared to make the change. We have to take responsibility for changing the image.  We may not have been responsible for creating it but we are responsible for changing it.

[sherita-douglas]

Worthy Ideal

Webster defines “ideal” as a standard of perfection, beauty or excellence; an ultimate object or aim of endeavor.  A worthy ideal is more than a goal - it is that which inspires the soul to move onward and upward to a greater awareness of the sheer beauty and abundance of life - real life.

How do we develop this?  What is the process to define our own personal worthy ideal?

The first step is to allow ourselves to be completely free, relaxed and quiet.  Our minds need to be quieted from all the endless chatter it experiences throughout the day and night.  Even in our sleep our minds are working. 

Meditation is an age-old practice to quiet one’s mind.  There are many ways to meditate - laying still, focusing on breathing, walking, sitting, standing, holding a yoga pose, soaking in a tub...  the main ingredient is to be in a place of quietness and safety; a place where one can allow the mind to wander.

When this is achieved, the next step is to begin the creative process of imagining.  What is that one thing you want to accomplish before you leave this world?  What is that idea you have been thinking about since you were a child but were told it was impossible? What is that one idea that is so far out, so out of the norm, so “pie in the sky” that you have suppressed it and only dreamt of it as an unrealistic fantasy? Begin there.

Through visualization, become emotionally involved with your worthy ideal. Be one with this thought, this idea, this fantasy of yours. Make the decision to take time everyday to meditate on your worthy ideal. Commit this to paper - write out in full detail what this looks like, how you feel, who you are.  Define your worthy ideal and refer to it frequently throughout the day.

Emotional attachment to your worthy ideal will energize you to change your behavior. As your behaviors change, your results change and your worthy ideal, your standard of perfection and ultimate object or aim of endeavor will become your reality. 

[sherita-douglas]

1. The 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule sounds like a mathematical formula and in some ways it is but don’t fret, this isn’t a lesson on statistics.  The rule came from an Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, who stated that 80% of the Italian income was earned by 20% of the Italian population.

What this means is that 80% of your outcomes come from 20% of your inputs.  To put this another way, 20% of your activities equate to 80% of your happiness.  Instead of focusing on income, we will focus on your overall well being or happiness factor.

To prove this theory, look at the distribution of wealth and lately with the shrinking of the middle class, this is even more apparent that a small portion of the population controls the majority of the economy.  Look at business, the top earners are a small percentage of companies and earn the largest portion of income.  And if you look at your own habits, you most likely spend most of your income on few things like your mortgage, car payment, food and you probably spend most of your time with a few people each day.

So how can you use the 80/20 rule to maximize your outputs?  Let’s look at John Maxwell.  He talks about the fact that he is only good at a few things.  Therefore, he doesn’t waste his time with those things he cannot do or does not want to do.  By focusing on what you are good at – those few things; and not waste time on those things you are not good at, you maximize your efficient self and are able to improve upon and increase your skillset on what you are good at and what you love to do. 

Malcolm Gladwell speaks of how to become an expert; the common thread is spending 10,000 hours perfecting one’s craft.  If you spread yourself across the board, become a Jack of all trades, master of none, than your efficiency rate decreases and no longer will the 80/20 rule work in your favor. 

Take a moment and consider what you love and what you are really good at and then list out those things that cause you to waste time and decrease your efficient self.  If you are able, hire someone to do those tasks that fall on that list.  Share duties with your children, spouse, roommate, significant other, co-worker, team members etc.  Trade your time and skillset for theirs.  You will find that focusing on those 20% tasks, the 80% yield will be worthwhile.